Acclaimed Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel has spoken out about her homeland's deep-seated racism and paternalism towards Indigenous peoples, as her first documentary 'Landmarks' prepares for its London release. The film, which won best film at the BFI London Film Festival, centers on the 2009 murder of Javier Chocobar, a Diaguita leader from the Chuschagasta community in Tucumán province.
A Documentary Born from Research
Martel, 59, known for fiction films like 'Zama' and 'The Headless Woman', discovered the video of Chocobar's killing on YouTube while researching her 2017 film. The footage, filmed by one of the accused mining businessman Darío Luis Amín, shows the moment former police officer Luis Humberto Gómez opens fire on Chocobar. The three accused men were armed, while none of the Indigenous people were. Chocobar died, and others were wounded but survived.
Initially intending to build an archive for the community, Martel gradually developed the idea for a documentary. The trial took almost nine years to begin, and Martel attended the 14-day hearings, describing them as 'one of the most extraordinary spectacles I have ever witnessed.' She noted that 'racism against Indigenous peoples' was evident in the courtroom through 'paternalism, infantilisation and the idea that the assets of Indigenous communities are something the state should decide how to administer.'
Argentina's Identity Crisis
Martel believes Argentine racism is tied to the country's self-image as a 'white' European nation, ignoring its Indigenous population, which makes up about 3% according to the 2022 census. 'We are always behaving as if we don't belong to Latin America. Argentina needs to put an end to this fantasy of being a nonexistent European country,' she said.
Born in Salta, neighboring Tucumán, Martel recalled that at school, 'we receive no information on Indigenous communities or their rights.' The documentary shows how even the existence of Indigenous Argentinians is questioned, a sentiment not limited to the Diaguita people.
Cultural Appropriation Debate
Martel, who is white, sees no problem in making a film centered on Indigenous issues. While acknowledging that cinema's first 120 years were dominated by a small group of white men, she welcomes the industry's growing diversity. However, she warns that the discourse around cultural appropriation has created 'another problem,' particularly among young filmmakers.
'You see men terrified of making films about women, women uncertain about what subjects they are allowed to address. We cannot stop talking about the issues of our time simply because the protagonists have not lived the same lives we have,' she said.
Land Dispute and Legal Outcome
The Chuschagasta community has been fighting for official state recognition of its land for years. At the trial's end, all three accused were convicted but remained free pending appeal. In 2021, Amín died of Covid. Late last year, the supreme court ordered the imprisonment of the two former police officers.
Martel will hand over the film's rights to the Chuschagasta community, who were the first to see the completed documentary. She emphasizes that 'Landmarks' is not just about one community but about 'a historical conflict and the usurpation of Indigenous lands in Argentina.'
'I made this film because I wanted to contribute to the history of our country, and to the health of Argentine society, which has carried this problem for far too long: through indifference, denial and constant doubt regarding the existence or legitimacy of Indigenous claims,' she said.
'Landmarks' is showing at Bertha DocHouse, London, from 29 May.
